Air Conditioner

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an air conditioner including a case, a compressor provided in the case, an evaporator, a condenser, an air duct system for heat ventilation and air refrigeration selectively, and piping members used thereof. The compressor is positioned at the bottom of the case, and the evaporator and condenser are mounted above the compressor in a side by side relationship. The said air duct system is provided in the top of the case. On one side of the said case there is a cooled air outlet for the evaporator and on the opposite side of the case there is a heated air outlet for condenser. The air conditioner is convenient to use and eliminates the need for a 4-way solenoid valve and repeated piping members, regularly used for transition between heating and cooling. Accordingly, the air conditioner provided by this invention is similar in structure to a single refrigeration unit, but has the dual function of both cooling and heating.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, specifically to a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.

An air conditioner is a kind of equipment that can make the room air at a comfortable temperature. According to the prior art, a kind of HVAC can be used to blow cooled air into the room and discharge heat to an external environment to cool the room in the summertime, while venting heated air to the room and blowing cold air into the external environment for heating the room air in the wintertime. This kind of HVAC equipment primarily comprises a case or housing, a compressor provided in the case, an evaporator, a condenser, air duct systems for heat ventilation and air refrigeration, and two sets of exchange systems, with piping members, etc. Compared with a refrigeration air conditioner, the HVAC is not only larger and more complicated in structure, but also inconvenient to use when its mode is switched between cooling and heating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, to overcome the disadvantages of the related art, the object of the present invention is to provide a heating and air conditioning equipment that is simpler in structure and easier to use.

In accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the air conditioner includes a case, a compressor provided in the case, an evaporator, a condenser, an air duct system for heat ventilation or air refrigeration selectively, and piping members used thereof. The said compressor is positioned at the bottom of the case, and the said evaporator and condenser are mounted above the compressor in a side by side arrangement. The said air duct system is provided in the top of the case. On one side of the said case there is a cooled air outlet for the evaporator and on the opposite side of the case there is a heated air outlet for the condenser.

The present invention has the advantages of positioning the cooled air outlet towards the inside room to let heated air be extracted out to the external environment in the cooling operation, and positioning the heated air outlet towards the inside room to let cooled air be extracted out to the external environment in the heating operation, by rotating the case 180-degrees. The evaporator and condenser are mounted abreast, and on two opposite sides of the said case there is a cooled air outlet and a heated air outlet respectively, to make it convenient to use.

The present invention also eliminates a regular four-way valve for heat exchange and redundant piping, and has the compressor positioned at the bottom of the case to simplify its structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a section view of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view showing the air conditioner in the cooling mode; and

FIG. 3 is a view showing the air conditioner in the heating mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an air conditioner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a case 1, a compressor 2 located in the case 1, an evaporator 3, a condenser 4, an air duct system for heat ventilation or air conditioning selectively, and piping members, wherein the said compressor 2 is positioned at the bottom of the case 1, and the said evaporator 3 and condenser 4 are mounted above the compressor 2 side by side, with air duct system for heated air and cooled air is provided at the top of the case 1. On a first side of the said case 1 there are cooled air outlets 5 corresponding to the evaporator 3 and on the opposite side of the case 1 there are heated air outlets 6 corresponding to condenser 4. Above the said compressor 2 is mounted a bidirectional motor 7, which has an air-cooled impeller 8 and a radiating impeller 9 above.

When the air conditioner is operated in a cooling mode, a vent-pipe 11 is inter-connected with heated air outlet 6, and the case 1 is rotated in a certain degree to make the cooled air outlet 5 face toward the inside room. As the room temperature is high, hot room air is introduced by the air-cooled impeller 8 to the surface of the evaporator 3, and then the refrigerant in evaporator 3 absorbs heat of the air to cool it, causing the vapor in the air to cool until it is condensed into liquid, and then discharged out of the room, and the refrigerant vaporizes into steam with lower temperature and pressure after absorbing the heat. After cooled by the evaporator 3, the cooled air meeting the requirements is blown into the room through the cooled air outlet 5, resulting in a temperature drop in the room. In the meantime, lower temperature-and lower pressure refrigerant steam is introduced into the compressor 2, to be compressed into higher-temperature-and-pressure steam which is then guided into condenser 4. Then, in the action of the radiating impeller 9, the air becomes hotter after absorbing heat from the surface of the condenser 4 and is discharged into the external environment through the vent-pipe 11. The refrigerant passes by a throttle valve and is turned into a lower-temperature liquid, for cooling the room air again that flows through the evaporator 3. The air conditioner repeats the foregoing processes to cool the room circularly.

In heating operation, the vent-pipe 11 is inter-connected with cooled air outlet 5, while the said case 1 rotates 180-degrees such that the heated air outlet 6 faces to the inside of the room. As the temperature in the room is low, the cold air flows through the surface of condenser 4 with the help of radiating impeller 9 to absorb heat, and then is discharged into the room through the heated air outlet 6, while the cold air from the room is discharged into external environment through the vent-pipe 11, resulting in heating the room air, by condensing and discharging heat.

Compared with the air conditioners of the prior art, the air conditioner according to the present invention is convenient to use and has eliminated the 4-way solenoid valve and redundant piping members regularly used for transition between heating and cooling operations. The air conditioner provided by this invention is in a structure type similar to single refrigeration, but has the dual function of cooling and heating; and because the bidirectional motor 7 is utilized, a motor and start-up capacitance using thereof according to the prior art can be left out, for the convenience to assemble and maintain, and for saving space.

Additionally, the bottom of the case 1 is concave, so while packaging the air conditioner, the vent-pipe 11 can be deposited in the concave surface of case 1 for saving the package space.

Preferably, a universal wheel 10 is provided on bottom side of the case, so while moving or turning the air conditioner, just a little force is needed to carry out the operation.

Some technical parts which have not been described in detail have been acknowledged by technicians of the related field prior to this invention. 

1. An air conditioner comprising: a case; a compressor provided in the case; an evaporator; a condenser; an air duct system for heat ventilation and air refrigeration respectively; whereby, the said compressor is positioned at the bottom of the case, with the air duct system situated at the top of the case, and the said evaporator and condenser are mounted above the compressor in a side by side relationship, respectively corresponding to a cooled air outlet and a heated air outlet located on opposite sides of the said case.
 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a bidirectional motor which has an air-cooled impeller and a radiating impeller thereon, is mounted above said compressor.
 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the said case has a universal wheel provided on bottom side. 